I know some people sometimes post articles from ESPN insider here and I always like reading those. A couple of days ago there was one that was something like "Yao won't be the last" or something about how there's a potential flood of seven footers coming from China. I'd like to read about that if someone could just post the text who has insider. Thanks. p.s. if this is better fit for the NBA talk forum then please move.
By Chad Ford ESPN Insider LOS ANGELES -- Shaquille O'Neal might be the most dominant big man in the NBA, but for the second consecutive year at All-Star weekend, it's been Yao Ming towering over just about everyone else. Yao Ming, right, is likely only one of the first of many big men from China with a future in the NBA. If being voted as an All-Star starter over Shaq for the second straight year isn't enough, the NBA threw a little party in Yao's favor Saturday that should've made him feel just a little closer to home. Flanked by Yao on one side and Disney president Michael Eisner on the other, NBA commissioner David Stern announced that the NBA would play two preseason games in Beijing and Shanghai in October against the Sacramento Kings. The games will be broadcast by ESPN on Oct. 14 and Oct. 17. The announcement is, in many ways, the real story here on All-Star Saturday. Stern's news about the NBA's strengthening relationship with China should send shivers down the spines of basketball isolationists wondering when the NBA's infatuation with all things international would end. "This is part of a long-term effort to enhance the relationship between sports fans in the United States and sports fans in China," Stern said. "With respect to that will be looking for many areas of mutual cooperation including the playing of basketball, clinics ... the kinds of things that bring people together." Stern said that the NBA plans to use this as a launching point to have coaches visit, official clinics begin and hopefully a flood of 7-foot Chinese immigrants into the NBA. "In short, this begins a basketball cultural exchange between the NBA and the Chinese basketball association," Stern said. "This is the next natural step for us." Stern went on to claim that if China can find a proper arena to house a regular-season game, we'll likely see one in the next two or three years. Big basketball fans What's the big deal about a preseason game in China? It's not the game that matters, but the growing bonds between the league and China that eventually could dramatically alter the future of the league. To get a handle on the significance, you've got to go back to 1998 when Mavericks scouts Donnie Nelson and Tony Ronzone made their way to China to check out Wang ZhiZhi. Ronzone, who was a coach in United Arab Emirates at the time, had seen ZhiZhi at a tournament in Asia and told Nelson about the skinny 7-footer whom he felt could make it into the NBA with the right training. Nelson and Ronzone took off to China in early 1998 to get a look at ZhiZhi and came back in awe of what they found -- literally millions of Chinese hungering and thirsting after the game of basketball. There are 200 million registered basketball players in China. It seemed to Nelson and Ronzone like they met every one. The trip consisted of several basketball clinics and nightly dinner meetings with Chinese officials in an effort to build the trust that would lay the groundwork to bringing a Chinese player to the NBA. The efforts weren't always easy. "When it was time to eat, the Chinese will show you beforehand what you're going to get," Ronzone told Insider. "Whatever you're going to eat, it comes out in a bag alive. One night they brought out a bag with three or four giant king snakes. Donnie said, 'If were going to eat a snake, better go with the biggest.' " To wash the king snake down, the host passed around a glass filled with sake with a round snake gall bladder in the bottom of the glass. They used chop sticks to mash the bladder into a green mush. Ronzone and Nelson both had to chug it down. Their efforts on the court weren't any easier. One day they showed up to help with a three-on-three tournament to find 4,000 eager kids waiting to be trained by the two scouts. "They just love basketball in China," Ronzone said. "They're crazy for it. We've never seen anyone more enthusiastic than the Chinese. The response was overwhelming." The sacrifices paid off. Not only did Nelson and Ronzone get their man Wang, he was a huge hit when he arrived in Dallas one and half years later. Wang's first game with the Mavericks came amidst a growing controversy with the Chinese over a downed American spy plane that the Chinese wouldn't release. Nelson said he was nervous the first time Wang stepped onto the floor, not knowing how the conservative Texas fans would react. "When they announced his name at the scoring table, the entire crowd gave him a standing ovation," Nelson said. "It was one of the most special moments in my career. I knew then that if we would embrace him in that environment, there was a big place for the Chinese in the NBA." ZhiZhi may have been the immediate goal, but it was another young prospect in China who turned out to be gold. Ronzone also stumbled into a 17-year-old named Yao Ming during a visit there. "He had a great lower body and unbelievable hands," Ronzone said. "The most impressive thing was that he loved to play basketball. He'd stay after practice to keep shooting around. That's so rare in big men, I knew he was something special." Nelson shrugs off any of the credit for Yao claiming he would've been found eventually. "Yao was an NBA player," Nelson told Insider. "Eventually we always find them." Still, you have to wonder if those two hadn't downed that snake that night whether the history of Chinese basketball and the NBA would have been the same. Ronzone spent the next few years living in and out of China. In 1999, he became the first American ever to coach the Chinese junior national team. In 2001, he served as the first American assistant to the national team where he coached Yao, ZhiZhi and Mengke Bateer. By the time the Rockets drafted Yao in 2002, the NBA had forged a solid relationship with China and, with much persuasion and a record buyout, the league and the Rockets persuaded the Chinese to give the NBA their national treasure. Stern predicts that next time, the league won't have to twist China's arm to allow another top player to leave for the NBA. "I don't believe that will be a difficult issue in the future," Stern told Insider. "As more Chinese players develop and there's a stronger talent pool and as long as the players are available for international competition, as Yao has been, I think that will ease the concerns that led up to the technical difficulties we had in bringing Yao here the first time." At Saturday's press conference, the Chinese seemed to agree. "Yao now belongs not only to Shanghai, but to China and the world," Sun Kanglin, president of the Beijing Bureau of Sport, said. "We hope to continue to promoted the cultural exchange between our two countries." They're the future Believe it or not, Yao is just the beginning. What Ronzone describes is a sleeping giant in China. "The potential there is unlimited," Ronzone said. "There are more people playing basketball in China right now than the entire population of the United States. That is an amazing pool to pull from." With players like Yao, ZhiZhi and Bateer getting big time exposure in the United States and China, the result has been a rapidly improving Chinese pro league. Now, the league imports solid players like former NBA players Olumide Oyedeji, Mark Stickland, Chris Herren and Roy Tarpley and former NCAA stars like God Shamgod and Jamaal Watkins. "Their pro league has improved dramatically over the last few years," Ronzone said. "Their players are playing against better competition, and they're really improving in all aspects of the game. We've really only scratched the surface over there. With 1.2 billion to choose from, it's only a matter of time before the Chinese have a significant presence here." Ronzone claims that he's already found twenty 7-footers between age 13 and 17 in recent trips to China. Scouts already have identified several other top prospects starting with 17-year-old phenom Yi Jianlian, a 7-footer who several scouts are already comparing to a young Kevin Garnett. Yi is athletic, has a complete inside-outside game and is already starting and contributing for the Guangdong Huanan Tigers. Several scouts claim he'll be a top five pick, maybe No. 1 overall, when he's allowed to come into the NBA. More conservatively players like Zhu Fangyu (a 6-foot-8 Dan Majerle clone), Mo Ke (who some scouts compare to Matt Harpring) and Tang Zhengdong (a young 7-foot-1 prospect) also figure to be drafted in the next several years. Stern predicts that in the near future, Chinese players will outnumber the other international imports into the NBA. "I have no doubt that there will be as many elite NBA players from China than in any other continent in the NBA." Ronzone nods his head in agreement. "It's going to happen."
haha just read the article. the Chinese Dan Majerle, the Chinese Matt Harpring... that doesn't sound very exciting... When are we gonna the Chinese Grant Hill or the Chinese Stephon Marbury?
it talks about a Chinese KG, that could go number 1 in a couple years. nbadraft net had a feature on future chinese imports, a detailed description of this guy and his uber freakness
couldn't find the profile about Yi. Read about the Mo Ke guy... 6-10, plays center... sounds dangerously like another Wang Zhizhi to me, although it says above average leaping ability, strong, and good looks, so hopefully he's NBA quality. But how is that like Dan Marjerle or Matt Harpring? Anyway, I watched the Chinese team last year during the world Champtionships, they're a team of big dudes that camp out and shoot threes except Bateer and Yao who have post moves. They need to develop some guards, even if they had a Chinese Moochie Norris they'd be top 8 in the world.
http://nbadraft.net/intreport004.asp International Report: China Year of the Monkey, or is it the Dragon? By Frank Gao NBA Draft.net 1/30/04 Yi Jianlian Guangdong Southern (Huanan) Tigers continue to lead the CBA league in the regular season, with some strong play from the youngster - Yi Jianlian, who's averaged 20/10 in his last 3 outings. Yi also finished 2nd in the all-star dunk contest (15:20-16:42) and got selected to play the all-star game as a reserve. After watching the dunk contest as well as some regular season games and a Nike commercial shot with Yi and some Beijing streetballers. Yi Jianlian, for sure, is athletic! Maybe not as athletic as KG, but he's by far the most athletic 7 footer, China has ever produced. Yi Jianlian did a McGrady type of off-the-board catch-in-the-air dunk and a 360 dunk in the contest and scored a 96, 2 short of the winner - Hu Guang playing for Shaanxi Team as a reserve swingmen, who's only 6-5 and dunked like Vince Carter. As far as his game is concerned, he's got good ball handling ability and a soft touch around the basket. He's good a sweat short range jumper and can run the floor extremely well. I haven't seen much of him play back to the basket though he's playing out of position as a C rather than his natural PF. There is widespread debate regarding Yi Jianlian's real age. Some say he's born in 1987 which is the age he reported officially registered at FIBA's international tournament for young men. Many others, who claim to know him personally and have access to Chinese basketball community, say he's at least 19, i.e. born in 1985. I have read a report on Yi writing a Chinese national university entrance exam last year, which makes it hard to believe that Yi was born in 1987. (Nevermind the fact that 15 year olds are never physically developed with agility the way he is.) Because one has to be really good academically to be able to write this exam at the age of 16. Well, then again, he might just have been asked to take the exam so they could enroll him in a professional sports college. With all that said, Yi Jianlian's age remains a mystery. Chen Jianghua Chen Jianghua, another hot prospect as reported by the New York Times to be the first Chinese world-class point guard. As described in the famous article - the People's Game, at age of 14 and 6-1 tall, Chen is extremely quick and played street ball since age of 6. Chen also has great athletism and can dunk 360s easily. Aside from all the positive things said about him, I was able to confirm his existence with local basketball fans. Chen Jianghua, again with a mysterious birthdate, is still in high school. But at the same time, he's also a member of the Junior Team of Guangdong Southern Tigers, which consists of a crop of good talents. Most Guangdong fans never heard of his name, and the ones who have seen him play, did not give any strong impression other than some flashy moves and raw athletism. Said one fan, "Chen is too skinny, lazy and doesn't like to play defense." I guess, we have to wait until he gets to the senior team to truly evaluate his potential. Mo Guochao Mo Guochao, another Guangdong Junior Team member. Reportedly measured to be 7-1 (some say 6-11) at the age of 15 (born in 1988). Mo has good athletism as a big man. He's rumored to be able to dunk from the free-throw line. Some watched him play during the short stay of the Chinese Olympic Hope Team in the southern California. Mo has a sweet shooting touch and is competitive on the court. However, with the front court of Guangdong Southern Tigers stacked with quality big men, Mo has to wait for his turn to be promoted into the senior team. He's described as athletic but not as athletic as Yi, and with shorter limbs. The Jiangsu Dragons are a team that has surprised a lot people. With the new coach from Taiwan, who used to coach the Sina Lions, Jiangsu has become a contender this year, currently ranked second place in the league. Yi Jianlian and Tang Zhengdong The team's young center - Tang Zhengdong, (7-1, 270lb, 20 years old) has emerged as the most dominant Chinese center in the CBA, with the absence of the moving Great Walls. Tang has averaged 25 pts and 15 rbs per game. His low post power game has differed him from conventional Chinese centers that have a all around game. Tang's performance has earned him 2 weekly MVP titles and a all-star MVP. Despite sometimes being accused for his lack of speed and slow reactions, Tang is still the most productive player in the CBA this season. Zhengdong has had a breakthrough season and is officially listed as born in 1984, however there is specualtion that his age has also been doctored as well. Yao Ming was asked about the Zhengdong's prospects for the NBA about a year ago, and said, "He's pretty good, but he's as old as I am." Another team worth mentioning is Beijing Aoshen. This team has a starting all Chinese line-up of an average height of 200m and 20 years old. Its PG is a 205m dude who started pro ball at the age of 14. Stay tuned for more info on him.
